The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission is considering whether to support an application for Kentucky to provide $42 million to support clinical trials on Ibogaine, a potential medication for combatting opioid addiction.

Ibogaine is an alkaloid derived from a West Africa shrub, commonly referred to as the Iboga shrub.  Ibogaine treatments and research, particularly regarding addiction to opioids, has previously occurred in territories outside of the United States.  Ibogaine remains classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act and is reported to have significant hallucinogenic properties.

The Commission’s consideration of the Ibogaine trials comes as part of its dedicated purpose of using opioid settlement funds to combat the opioid abuse in Kentucky.  The Kentucky Office of the Attorney General has reported the state will receive approximately $842 million in funds from settlement agreements with several pharmaceutical distributors.  The Commission is charged with distributing a portion of the settlement, and has begun accepting applications for grant funding.

The Commission heard testimony on July 17, 2023 from Ibogaine researchers and from individuals receiving Ibogaine treatments, and has scheduled an additional public hearing on September 15, 2023.  The Commission will then decide whether to authorize $42 million in settlement funds for Ibogaine trials, which would also require a petition to the Food and Drug Administration for permission to conduct the research.

Kentucky would become the first state to conduct clinical trials on the efficacy of Ibogaine.  Applications for research grants could become available as early as 2024, creating a unique opportunity for clinical research teams in Kentucky to develop a medically assisted ibogaine treatment model for substance abuse disorder. This process would require interested clinical researchers to meet stringent application and research-related requirements, and to establish a safe and monitored environment for administration.  The trials would be subject to federal and state law as well as additional regulatory requirements. The process will require strict adherence to legal requirements.

Others states are also considering funding psychedelics research.  For example, North Carolina’s legislature is considering a bill that would establish a grant program for the study of MDMA and psilocybin to treat mental health disorders.  Likewise, a bill introduced in Arizona would appropriate $30 million for competitive research grants to study whole mushroom psilocybin.  A recently filed bill in the U.S. Congress would create a $75 million federal grant program to support research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for certain health conditions among active duty military service members.  There have been bipartisan efforts to include in the defense bill a provision that would allow for research on psychedelics to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

We will continue to monitor specifically the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission proceedings, including attending the public hearings conducted by the Commission, and more generally the availability of grant funding and psychedelic research opportunities across the country.